1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a toaster for toasting sliced bread. Specifically, the present invention relates to such toaster which can sufficiently receive the bread having various sliced width by regulating a location of a heating portion installed in the toaster to constantly obtain a desired toast of the bread.
2. Description of the Background Art
A toaster is generally known as an electrical appliance to toast sliced bread with a heater. Conventionally, the toaster includes a bread inlet port formed of a longitudinally extended opening opened at a top portion of a toaster body, and a carriage plate installed to the lower portion of the inlet port to receive the bottom of the inserted bread. The carriage plate is movably supported by a spring being balanced with the upward movement thereof. The plate can operate from the outside of the body wall. The toaster further includes a pair of heating portions having heaters respectively installed to the lower portion of the inlet port to face each other via the carriage plate, and a reflecting plate installed to the heating portion to face with the bread surface inserted.
When the bread is inserted from the bread inlet port, the bottom of the bread is received by the carriage plate, then a knob installed to the outer side wall of the body for linking with the movement of the carriage plate is pressed down to the predetermined position where the downward movement being locked. The heater is activated to generate heat for toasting the bread surface. The lock of the knob is released after the bread is sufficiently toasted, the carriage plate is lifted up by upward spring force. Thus, the toasted bread is come out from the inlet port.
The longitudinally extended opening of the bread inlet port is generally installed to form a pair being parallel at the top portion of the body. In such toaster, the heater is located at the center portion between two openings and two reflecting plates are respectively located between adjacent the paired openings and the heater. Therefore, only one side of the bread inserted into the opening is toasted to remain the other side thereof.
In the conventional toaster, the heating portion of the toaster is fixed to the same location under any conditions. Therefore, when the bread having the sliced width of relatively wider is inserted into the bread inlet port, distance between the bread surface and the heating portion becomes narrower to cause the bread to be burned. On the other hand, when the bread having the sliced width of relatively narrower is inserted, that becomes wider to cause the bread to be insufficiently toasted. Therefore, it is difficult to regulate the toasting rate of the bread having variety of width.